Article
Article
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Contagious cancers
Article By:
Belov, Katherine Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Last reviewed:2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB110029
Cancer arises independently in each individual as a result of genetic mutations that transform cells, leading to uncontrollable growth. However, there are two naturally occurring contagious cancers that have been detected. Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) and canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) each arose within a single individual, but then were able to spread from one individual to another. Moreover, both clonal cell lines lived on well beyond the normal life span of the host in which they arose. Although the two diseases are spread differently, with DFTD being spread between Tasmanian devils by biting and CTVT being transmitted during coitus in dogs, both appear to have arisen as a result of low levels of genetic diversity within the original host population.
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
